We’re living through an age of unprecedented change, and so the ability to adapt to that change has never been more important, whether as individuals or organizations. In Stop, Ask, Explore, St. John’s University professor Joan Ball argues that there are three key myths surrounding change that can prevent us from making successful adaptations.

Myth #1 Change is scary

Change is a natural part of everyday life, and something we’re doing throughout our regular working week, but we can often convince ourselves that not only is change something we’re not very good at but that it is fundamentally scary. Ball reminds us that we often make a whole host of changes that we’re not even aware we’re making, with the ones that do register typically the biggest ones. This can skew our mindset towards thinking that all changes are of this type, when the reality is they’re usually not.

Myth #2 Some changes are good, some are not

There is no uniform, or indeed right, way to respond to change, with responses inevitably going to vary across people, situations, and circumstances. What may be extremely challenging and threatening to one person may be exciting for another. As such, Ball reminds us that it’s extremely reductionist to characterize change as either bad (or good), as the reality is usually far more nuanced.

Myth #3 Dealing with uncertainty is hard, so change must be too

As Darwin so adeptly explained, it is generally the most adaptable of species that tend to survive, so the tremendous success mankind has achieved is a testament to our ability to change. It’s something that we are indelibly good at, and so we all have the capability to respond successfully to even the most challenging circumstances. This might not be our default position, however, and Ball reminds us that it’s a skill that we need to work at to get better.

“These myths point to the critical role that context plays in our perception of change and whether or not we view it as a threat,” she explains.